NEWLY QUALIFIED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS FEATURE
challenges they face and , using the coaching tools , learn strategies to support wellbeing . These are :
• finding perspective in tough situations ;
• quietening your inner critic ;
• becoming your own cheerleader ;
• building your support network ;
• finding a balance ; and
• treating yourself with compassion . The aim is for the tools provided to be utilised to help NQOTs overcome or progress through these challenges effectively and with a positive sense of wellbeing . In short , the pocket guides encourage occupational therapists to take a moment to think about themselves and to promote self-care , in what is a pivotal time in their careers . Once draft guides were produced , the project recruited a community of volunteers from NQOTs and clinical supervisors to review and evaluate the guides .
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive , the comments included :’ The guides are easy to follow with great strategies and advice . I liked hearing the voice of the other occupational therapists in the guides as it felt relatable . The exercises suggested are simple but effective , I particularly like how most could easily be embedded into supervision or daily routines … I think lots of the information could be useful to all occupational therapists , not just newly qualified .’
Also : ‘ I found the guides on perspective and self-compassion the most useful . I think they related a lot to what I was experiencing in practice as a newly qualified occupational therapist . The tasks were different to what I ’ ve seen the past and felt very relevant to my continuing professional development and supervision .’
Some constructive suggestions were made also regarding the potential to develop the guides into an app and to produce shortformat key facts that could be inserted into lanyards , acting as a quick reminder of strategies .
In addition to the pocket guides , there is also a ‘ book of blogs ’, which is a compilation of some of the blogs published throughout the project . These blogs supplement the other pocket guides by discussing insightful NQOT experiences and providing more detail on the Elizabeth Casson Trust .
As with the first year of practice , the project was not without its challenges . It launched during the first week of national lockdown . Like everyone , the project team , all NQOTs , faced their own challenges during this time . All the certainties of a usual first year of practice , such as routines and rotations , were swept away .
COVID-19 restrictions meant the project team never met face to face , which introduced a new way of working . The project ’ s processes , timescales and member involvement all had to be adapted to fit the ever-changing environment and circumstances .
It was important that the new ways of working and associated feelings about that did not dominate the project . While the pandemic had a massive influence on everything the team and the wider occupational therapy community were doing during the course of the project , the guides needed to be supportive of the wellbeing of graduates in a post COVID-19 world .
Murray et al ( 2020 ) conducted research , using a constructivist grounded theory approach within an interpretivist paradigm , to develop a theory of how early career occupational therapists ( ECOTs ) learn once practising . Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 occupational therapists working in Australia , who were experienced ( n = 8 ), ECOTs ( n = 10 ) or in supporting roles for new graduates ( n = 2 ). Open , focused and theoretical coding were used to develop a theory of learning-to-practise . The theory included four learning thresholds
EVIDENCE LINK
( consolidating professional reasoning , navigating into the workplace , building competence and confidence , and developing a personal theory and practice style ) and eleven strategies for crossing them . The authors suggest that challenges experienced by ECOTs can promote learning , and they need to be equipped with knowledge , supervision and support to enable them to cross learning thresholds .
Reference Murray CM , Edwards I , Jones M , Turpin M ( 2020 ) Learning thresholds for early career occupational therapists : a grounded theory of learning-to-practise . British Journal of Occupational Therapy , 83 ( 7 ), 469 – 482 .
Involvement in the project has benefitted the personal and professional development of the project team . It has been a muchneeded constant in the fluidity of circumstances and has taught us the importance of self-wellbeing .
Further benefits for project members included development of our leadership , communication , problem solving , creative writing and entrepreneurial skills .
References
Holland K , Middleton L and Uys L ( 2013 ) Professional confidence : conceptions held by novice occupational therapists in South Africa . Occupational Therapy International , 20 ( 3 ): 105-13 , doi : 10.1002 / oti . 1340 [ Epub 2013 Jan 25 ]
Hollis V and Clarke C ( 1993 ) Core skills and competencies : Part 2 , the competency conundrum . British Journal of Occupational Therapy , 56 ( 3 ): 102 – 106 . Available at : https :// doi org / 10.1177 / 030802269305600308
Tryssenar J and Perkins J ( 2001 ) From student to therapist : exploring the first year of practice . American Journal of Occupational Therapy , 55 ( 1 ): 19-27 . Available at : doi : 10.5014 / ajot . 55.1.19 .
Deborah May , Ryan McClure and Paul Wilkinson . With thanks to the Elizabeth Casson Trust for supporting the project . Alongside the authors , the project team also comprised : Andrew Bates , Stephanie Exley , Joanna Hunt , Bethany Morgan-Davis , Rebecca Power , Siobhan Scanlon , and Katy Williams . Download the guides at : https :// bit . ly / 3nxMQcw .
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